Where's Charlie?
Publisher: iUniverse Publishing
Published: July 12, 2011
Place of publication: USA
Format: Paperback (softcover)
Number of pages: 300
ISBN-13: 9781462014941
Description: Review Written by Bernie Weisz, Historian, Vietnam War  Contact: BernWei1@aol.com Pembroke Pines, Florida, U.S.A. Title of Review:  "The NVA had strongholds, battlefronts, ambushes and engaged us. After nocturnally vanishing, the question was "Where's Charlie?, February 14, 2012
"Where's Charlie" is a memoir written in 2011 by Tim Soyars, a former Army Officer who participated in the ground war in South Vietnam's Central Highlands during the peak years of combat. However, this memoir is unlike almost any other memoir you will find written the last ten years. Few Vietnam Veterans talk about their wartime experiences. For every memoir written, there are hundreds that ought to be but never will. This author has no agenda, political axe to grind or atrocity his guilt is compelling him to reveal. Soyars facts and chronology are faultless. Author Tim Soyars did not use "historical fiction" to obscure releasing any national secrets, because he forgot names, dates, locations or to protect others from atrocities he witnessed. Some Vietnam Veterans write their memoirs knowing they have a terminal illness and this is their last chance to leave their testimony or chronicle their historical contribution. Nevertheless, this book's volition was of his wife and children, particularly Soyars son, who wanted to know the details about his father's ordeal. Between using half a century old letters the author and his wife communicated to each other with and saved, Soyars razor sharp memory and his company's operational reports, this trifecta served as the autobiography's framework. The result is an amazing memoir radically different from 99% of similar ones published prior to this.

However, if you are looking for an action packed Vietnam War memoir brimming with exciting stories of violent combat, enemy sappers launching 4 A.M. suicide charges, deadly artillery duels against North Vietnamese forces on numerically assigned hills, "Where's Charlie" has something to please all readers. For this memoir took place in 1967, the year before the enemy's infamous "Tet Offensive." The Communists for the most part became as elusive as possible, consolidating their energies and concealing themselves from U.S. "Search and Destroy" missions. Tim Soyars would express exasperation throughout the pages of "Where's Charlie" and be able to witness the reasons for the enemies avoidance of contact. For at the end of January, 1968 the Viet Cong offensive would be countrywide in scope and well coordinated, with more than 80,000 communist troops striking more than 100 towns and cities, including 36 of 44 provincial capitals, five of the six autonomous cities, 72 of 245 district towns, and the southern capital. The Tet Offensive was the largest military operation yet conducted by either side up to that point in the war. The early years of the war from the 1964 Tonkin Gulf Resolution to the following year's "Battle of Ia Drang" saw the first major engagement between the forces of the U.S. and the North Vietnamese. President Johnson's 1965 initiation of the air war against the North labeled "Operation Rolling Thunder" and the 3,500 Marines hitting the beach in Danang using their "Normandy Beach" invasion style garnered nationwide attention and a lion's share of domestic media coverage.

Although nothing would match the repercussions caused by the 1968 Tet Offensive, the enemy only showed himself in force once in 1967, at the November Battle of Dak To. Soyars frustration at the enemies avoidance of contact is conveyed to readers throughout this interesting memoir. Aside from leaving a legacy to his family, Soyars motivation for penning this book is singular. Insisting that his military experience provided the foundation for the rest of his life, the author declared the following as his intention in this historically rich offering; "I sincerely hope this book might inspire some young person to experience the military to its fullest as I did." Tim Soyars was a "baby boomer," an American who was born in 1945, the year W.W.II ended. All those born after W.W. II and everyone else of that era would inescapably be affected by our nation's military involvement in Southeast Asia, although few knew why we were really fighting there. Soyars' father had a fireworks accident as a boy, and because of that injury was deemed ineligible for military service. Growing up in Norfolk, Virginia, Soyars' dad became a fire fighter while his brothers fought both in the Pacific against the Japanese and in Europe against the Nazi's. By defeating both the Axis powers, unwittingly a sequence of events would start culminating in Soyars' one year tour of duty with the First Calvary patrolling South Vietnam's "Central Highlands."

To understand this, one must know why America became involved in a nation's affairs 12,000 away in the first place, and what was the war like before we entered it? Was it vital to America's interests for 58,209 to lose their lives in this country, 153,303 to become wounded and 2,489 never to be found, missing even as of today? How did the war change the U.S.? Why did the antiwar movement become so strong and influential domestically? Were these "peace protesters" right? And finally, what is the bottom line? Did the U.S. win or lose our Vietnam war, oh, sorry....that's "conflict," as a state of war was never promulgated. What lessons do we make out of this? "Where's Charlie" will provide subtle answers to all of the aforementioned issues. There are different opinions from all participants who were deployed to Vietnam as to what happened during America's involvement. Tim Soyars certainly gives some good clues, particularly if you continue to read other participant's memoirs and compare them to his.  One thing is certain; America's involvement and the views of those that took part in this conflict will differ from branch of service to the year they were there. A soldier in the Seventh Cavalry Regiment who took part in the November, 1965 "Battle of the Ia Drang" will give you a very different account of the conflict as compared to a sailor who participated in the October, 1968 "Operation Sealord," a naval attempt to disrupt North Vietnamese supply lines from Cambodia through the Mekong Delta.

Nevertheless, Soyars book holds clues that help all Veterans of that war as well as historians put the pieces of the puzzle together. Today, if a war breaks out, the youth of America need a very convincing reason to go overseas and risk their life more convincing than the "Domino Theory." It wasn't that way in the late 1960's though, particularly if one's family lineage had Confederate antecedents. Most Southerners have manners rarely found in the rest of the U.S. They say "sir and ma'am," hold doors open for others, offer their seats to old folks because they've been taught from one generation to another that such things are expected of civilized people.  Study Southern etiquette and mannerisms from the Civil War on and you will find the qualities of courtesy, generosity, class, and charm for the most part in the hearts and souls of most true Southern gentlemen. This is truly a way of life still very much alive below the Mason-Dixon. When in his January, 1960 inaugural speech John F. Kennedy said "And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country," Southern families took this very seriously. It was only a year later that J.F.K. announced; "The loss of South Vietnam would make pointless any further discussion about the importance of Southeast Asia to the free world; we would have to face the near certainty that the remainder of Southeast Asia and Indonesia would move to a complete accommodation with Communism, if not formal incorporation within the Communist bloc."

A firm believer in the "Domino theory," L.B.J. believed that; "If we allow Vietnam to fall, tomorrow we'll be fighting in Hawaii, and next week in San Francisco." He immediately reversed his predecessor's order to withdraw U.S. military personnel from Vietnam by the end of 1963. With the "Gulf of Tonkin Resolution," Johnson began America's direct involvement in the ground war in Vietnam, as within six months after this he set the U.S. on an irreversible course. When Tim Soyars arrived in 1967, Americans were being killed at the rate of over 1,000 a month. This never fit into Soyars nor most southern boys agenda. Bud Willis wrote in "Marble Mountain" the following; "When you grow up in Tennessee, you are likely to be taught the "Pledge of Allegiance" before you learn the "Lord's Prayer." That's just how we roll. There may have been some crafty ways to avoid the draft, but most of us weren't handicapped by that kind of privilege, nor did we care for the label "draft dodger." Throughout the South and in Tennessee in particular, we belonged to a culture that made us want to do our part. After all, if Elvis Presley could be drafted, anybody could! What other place in the world could claim the title of "The Volunteer State?" I'll wager that none of the 70,000 men who flew to Canada to avoid Vietnam were from my hometown." Keep in mind this was 1961, long before the media turned the Vietnam War, especially the "Tet Offensive" into a villainous American crusade.

The gist of "Where's Charlie" is Tim Soyars participation starting in March of 1967 as a member of the First Air Cavalry Division, one of the most famous combat divisions of the U.S. Army. Wearing the famous unit insignia of the triangular shield with rounded corners and a black diagonal stripe and a black horse's head cut off diagonally at the neck in the upper right, Soyars was assigned to "Charlie Company, Second Battalion, Fifth Cavalry Regiment" in mid March of 1967. His journey to Vietnam started in the fall of 1965, where after induction Soyars went through basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Always playing soldier as a child, and knowing his entry to the military was a guaranteed all expenses paid trip to Southeast Asia, he commented; "The thought of dying crossed my mind, I was confident and never gave it any serious consideration." Applying for Officer Candidate School during basic training and granted an appointment, Soyars next stop was at Fort Benning, Georgia. In describing OCS, Soyars remarked that it was; "The Army way on steroids." Regardless of the rigors, the author would learn during his six month training skills such as map reading and higher level infantry skills that very well played a part in his safe return. His final stateside assignment was as a second lieutenant for a basic training company in Fort Polk, Louisiana, where he met an assistant program director at an enlisted men's service club.

Destined to be his wife, Jeanie would sustain him with letters and a sense of normalcy, reminding him through her writing that a life worth living was awaiting his safe homecoming. Jeanie was always on his mind, even as he foraged through the rice paddies and leech infested rivers of South Vietnam's dangerous enemy infested Central Highlands. As a harbinger of his tour, Soyars saw a rainbow as he departed the Oakland airport for South Vietnam, writing; "I felt a satisfying peace, a sense that it was a message from above to comfort me as I departed the U.S." Since he had no specific assignment, Soyars had to wait until a replacement request would come in. His first impressions of South Vietnam as he was transported from the Saigon Airport to Long Binh were as follows; "The Vietnamese population was mostly on foot or bicycles, but some drove three-wheeled, motorized vehicles and some drove automobiles. I saw several people pushing wheelbarrows with passengers; go figure. The sights, sounds and smells were so different and intriguing." At Long Binh Soyars traded his U.S. currency for "funny money," i.e. military script, played cards and drank beer. On March 11, 1967 a A First Air Cavalry Division platoon leader was wounded for Charlie Company, Second Battalion, Fifth Cavalry Regiment in a battle. A replacement was needed and Tim Soyars was to fill that role.

Two days later he was sent to Camp Radcliffe at An Khe for a week of in-country training and saw his first casualty. At a grenade range, a soldier was killed in front of Soyars when his grenade prematurely exploded. The author quickly realized that there was no safety in a war zone regardless of one's whereabouts. It was there that he was taught the skill of rappelling. This would come into use later in a situation when Charlie Company flew via helicopter to a nighttime campsite without a landing zone. Although Soyars and his men successfully lowered themselves by rope to the ground, he wrote; "Well, if the NVA was there, dangling men from a helicopter would certainly flush out anyone wanting easy targets." In retrospect, Soyars realizes that in 1967 Charlie Company's objective was to engage, capture or kill the enemy. The reason why the enemy was so hard to find was as follows; "The enemy's strategy was to build up forces all over the South, avoid battles now but prepare for battles in 1968 during Tet." The reader goes with Soyars through South Vietnam's Central Highlands' villages in his quest to find the enemy. How did Charlie Company distinguish the enemy? Soyars explained how to sort out the belligerents; "We never knew how the VC might dress. The civilian population and the VC were indistinguishable. However, the NVA wore uniforms, a sure giveaway." Lots of reasons have been given to why America's military endeavors did not lead to the Communists defeat in this conflict. From failing to resist communist aggression and unsuccessful counterinsurgency to the inability to preserve the integrity of U.S. commitment, the answers vary.

Tim Soyars rationale as to American military weakness in South Vietnam was right to the point; "We airlifted by helicopter into an area based on intelligence reports of enemy activity, but our arrival seldom surprised anyone. Every helicopter mission to an unsecured area was termed an air assault, and helicopter gun ships preceded all air assaults. The gun ships pounded the LZ with rockets and machine gun fire in an attempt to provide a secure landing and off-loading of soldiers. Because of the landscape and agriculture of the plains, many landings were in rice paddies and totally exposed. These landings would've made great sites for an attack if the enemy wanted to do so." Soyars details different missions, even one where he shot and killed an enemy soldier. Charlie Company's primary objective after landing in an area of the Central Highlands was to search surrounding villages for enemy activity, and sniper fire was a frequent occurrence. Soyars solution was as follows; "We'd move closer to the source of the sniping, seeking to flush him out and determine the strength of the enemy, or we would hold our position and call in artillery or aerial rocket artillery on the contact area. Often sniping occurred from the VC with the objective to disrupt our mission. The latter option was expedient and allowed us to resume our mission quickly, and if the sniping was from the VC, we foiled their objective. If NVA was present and prepared for a fight, they would not snipe. They would wait in ambush for us to move close to their positions and then open fire."

Rich Watkins wrote in his book "Vietnam: No Regrets" the following comment about approaching a village and the attitude of the South Vietnamese towards our forces saving them from Communist oppression; "We passed the little village of Tra Cu, which was also coming to life. The people in the village were always up early to get their washing done in the river and take their morning bath. As we slowly made our way past them, they could care less that we were there. They hardly gave us a passing glance. Half the people in this village were the enemy, and the other half couldn't care less if we lived or died. As far as they were concerned, we were just kind of there, until we weren't, I guess. I had thought we were here to help these people or save them or something like that, but I was new and I was naive, and my attitude would change as our tour progressed.  Soyars attitude would also change as his tour progressed. He also points out how different this war was compared to previous conflicts; "This war wasn't like our father's war, where they came face to face with the enemy. That seldom happened in this war. The enemy made himself known when he had the advantage and often from ambush or as a sniper. We moved quietly and slowly, stopping frequently to listen. We heard nothing but our own breathing."

On March 6, 1968, the day of Soyars' departure from Vietnam, the Tet Offensive was raging. Since he was leaving the war zone, Soyars was asked to turn in his weapons. Without anything to protect himself, on the day of his "Freedom Bird" at 2 A.M. the airfield at Cam Ranh Bay was mortared by an enemy attack. Adding some humor to a potentially dangerous situation, Soyars remembered; "We halfway joked about fully armed NVA storming the bunkers as we watched helplessly, armed with only a deck of cards and some U.S. dollars. Included in this memoir are the actual text of the letters Tim and Jeanie exchanged. Within it one can catch a pulse of what Tim felt in the war zone and how Jeanie reacted to it as a newlywed on the home front. As earlier mentioned, this memoir is different than most others, where the combatant's animosity is expressed over civilian treatment upon return, Agent Orange issues, etc. Putting everything into perspective, Soyars remarked; "My experience in Nam was one of great pride and importance to my life and development, and I know that many of the men who served with me felt the same. The bond and emotion found among those who fight front line in any war is hard to comprehend by those who have never experienced it." This is an important memoir with a fresh perspective to a war that thanks to contributions such as "Where's "Charlie" will never be forgotten. A must read!
Table of contents: title: The Author is Tim Soyars, not Phillip Wells !